


American Idiot

by little_werewolf



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Age of Ultron, Fluff, M/M, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-05
Updated: 2015-05-05
Packaged: 2018-03-29 04:34:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3882493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/little_werewolf/pseuds/little_werewolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the story of Tony and Steve. Of how it should be. Together. But it wouldn't be Tony, if it weren't for the bumps in the road.</p>
            </blockquote>





	American Idiot

**Author's Note:**

> This has spoilers for Age Of Ultron, even if not many, they are there. Don't come back to me and say I haven't warned you.

Tony couldn't sleep.

He found himself waking up in the middle of the night, remembering the clear image of Cap's face, asking him why he hadn't done more to safe him. It would always catch his breath in his throat, and Tony tried to understand the feeling pain rushing through him when the moment came of Cap dying in front of him.

Luckily, for now at least, it was all just a dream and Tony knew that Steve was somewhere save. Even if it meant that it wasn't there with Tony, and he tried so hard to understand why that was bothering him so much.

He also knew that the man, super soldier, first Avenger and all, could take care of himself and that he didn’t need Tony to safe him.

Of course Ultron had changed them all, they had grown more together and apart at the same time. They had evolved as a team, and at the same separated in so many different directions that it was hard to say how they would ever get together again. There were now other people taking care of Hydra, the New Avengers. Lead by the brave Captain America, and Black Widow. Iron Man wasn't needed anymore, and it had been a grand idea to simply lie back and relax, a few weeks ago.

Tony had come home to a quiet house, with just Pepper there, and the world looking like it was able to survive without him. He had shut away the last Iron Man suit, keeping it locked away for emergencies. He actually tried to do his actual job for once. Be out of his lab by the time that Pepper came home, or even join her at the company.

Things had been going well. Or at least he thought they had.

However the nightmares returned, and it pulled the final string apart that had been holding them together. Tony loved Pepper, and she loved him, but there were things that couldn't be overseen. They were good friends, but they weren't made as lovers. So at the end Tony had given in, had made sure she had a decent place to stay and organised the move.

Now, Tony lay awake at nights. Lying in a bed that was too big for him, in a quiet house where he had no one to talk to. J.A.R.V.I.S. wasn't there anymore, not in the way he had been there before. There were no more snarky conversations in the middle of the night when one of Tony's experiments had gone wrong. No one reminding him of his appointments, or the need to eat every now and then.

Tony was suddenly all alone again, and that was never a good thing.

Letting out a soft sigh, Tony turned in his bed and reached out for his phone, which was lying on the nearby nightstand. There were several new emails that Tony opted to ignore for now. Instead he searched for a telephone number, grinning when he finally found it. For a moment Tony just stared at it, wondering if it was such a good idea. It wouldn't make things any easier, he knew that, but he kind of hoped that it would maybe bring some needed distraction.

**

Tony had still driven out that night, arriving for early lunch time in Boston. The weather was nice, and Tony pulled down his sunglasses as he stepped out of his car. He hadn't packed any luggage, not yet knowing if he was going to stay the night or drive back down the same day. He had stayed up longer before, it would be no trouble in doing so.

Once the car was locked, he had a small glance around, and found himself smiling softly as he spotted the person he was looking for.

Steve was standing at the railing, his arms leaning on the metal bars, looking over the water with what seemed a thoughtful expression. When Tony had phoned him the night before and had asked Steve to meet up for a coffee. The man had asked him calmly how many hours he had already been awake and if one of his experiments had meddled with his brain.

Tony didn't know how he had done it, but he had somehow managed to convince Steve Rogers to meet up for lunch with him. The man’s words had been, "If you are making me come out to Boston, you might as well buy some proper lunch." Tony had been only too happy to oblige to the request.

He had been worried of course if Steve would appear at all. Tony wasn't known to be reliable, and he had just been a little worried that Steve might have thought he was joking.

However, there he was now, and Tony caught himself staring, just for the smallest of moments. Quickly shaking the thought off again, he walked up to Steve, a broad grin on his face.

"Ready for lunch Rogers?" Tony asked with a grin, and his grin softening when Steve looked back at him with that small soft smile that was so trademark to be his.

"Apparently I am," Steve replied, and the two men just stared at another for a moment. It was Steve who moved first, and Tony was surprised as he found himself being pulled into a tight hug. Tony felt like he didn’t want to let go, and he clung on to Steve just for the moment. Steve felt warm, and safe, all feelings that Tony hadn’t been able to experience a lot in the last few weeks. However they were in public, and he was sure that if the paparazzi found him, Steve wouldn't have another quiet moment for the next few months.

"Come on then, I'll show you the place that serves the best shrimps," Tony said with a grin as he pulled back and then lead the way away from the coast.

The restaurant wasn't far, and Tony got them a seat in the corner of the restaurant, away from curious bystanders.

"Never thought I would see you stepping into a place like this Stark," Steve commented once they had sat down and ordered food and drinks.

Tony just grinned, giving a small shrug and leaning forward to let his arms rest on the table, looking back at Steve with a soft smirk.

"And that's the thing Rogers," Tony started, the grin growing. "People always expect something, look at the outer shell but nothing else. You can't expect someone to open up, unless you try and get to know them."

"We all have our secrets," Steve replied with a small smile.

"That we do Cap," Tony confirmed with a small nod and sat up a little more again as the waiter came with their drinks.

"So what is this then? Planning something that needs the stamp of approval? I might want to add that I will probably not be as much of as a help like Banner. Which is maybe a good thing, if I think of it," Steve asked, and Tony grimaced slightly. He took a sip of his drink and then shook his head.

"Nothing like that Cap," Tony started, and he could feel his expression growing a little vulnerable. He wasn't going to admit that he had missed the man. He wouldn't go that far. It would make him human, breakable, and Tony tried so hard at times not to be any of that.

"Just sharing secrets," he continued, with a weak smile.

There was a heavy silence for a moment, and Tony wondered if he should make some stupid remark, as the waiter reappeared with a large portion of shrimps. Tony grinned, opening the cuffs of his shirt, and rolling up his sleeves.

"And this, my good man, is why I come here for lunch," Tony said with a grin and then reached out for the first shrimp, letting Steve just sit there for a moment to get past the shock. Making all of this rather worth it.

**

They met up several times after that lunch.

It were mostly lunches, sometimes dinners, sitting on benches in parks in random cities, talking about everything that didn't involve the Avengers. Neither did they ever mention Ultron or what had become out Vision. Steve had asked once about Pepper, politely, not realising that was another topic Tony tried to avoid. He had stopped doing so again after that.

They visited Clint together, out on his farm. Welcoming Nathaniel into his world, and telling him stories about the world that waited out for him.

Tony taught Steve how to dance. It had been a crazy idea really, a spur out of the moment thing. But it had felt good, and so Tony continued to do so, over and over again, until the other man stopped stepping on to his feet.

Life was going well and the nightmares seemed to be stopping as well. Tony was this time watching from behind the tv screen when the Avengers went out into battle, fighting one monster after another. And no matter how much he was trying to fight it, he missed being out there with them. It wasn't the same team anymore. With Thor gone, and Clint back home with his family; but it was still his family; and he missed it.

So Tony tried to bury himself into work, telling himself that the world was done with Iron Man. He had promised Pepper he would try to keep himself out of as much as trouble as possible. In his mind, that also meant stopping meeting up with Steve. Give it a clean cut like he had wanted to do in the first place.

Tony, being who he was, ended up losing track of time, ignoring any calls that weren't company related, and installing a new AI in his house. Because if he really had to. He was going to admit that he missed J.A.R.V.I.S. and he needed someone to talk to. So he created S.A.M.A.N.T.H.A. (aka Something Amazing Much Adored Not Tested Homebound Assistant) and he had just started up the system, when her alarms already went off.

"Tony, you have a visitor standing in front of your door," her voice sounded soothing and calm, and Tony couldn't help but roll his eyes at the apparent conclusion.

"Pull up the feed to the camera and show me who it is," Tony replied, his eyes fixed on the floating screen in front of him as he tried to work through the latest codes.

"This one?" the AI asked, and Tony looked up for a moment, his breath catching in his throat. There was Steve, in his suit and shield, frowning as he seemed to try and find something.

"That one," Tony replied hoarsely while already walking out of his workshop and heading up the stairs towards the front door.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Let him inside, before he throws his shield at my door and breaks it open," Tony replied, feeling his suddenly tight knot forming in his stomach. He hadn't meant to forget about Steve, he had just... tried to be less of a burden really. It had been fun times, but Tony didn't believe in happy endings, not anymore, and after all he had decided to do the clean cut. He had to deal with the consequences.

"Of course Tony," the AI replied and the front door clicked open and Tony could hear Steve's heavy footfalls immediately entering the house.

"Stark!" the man called, and he sounded concerned, and Tony found himself wanting to shrink somewhere in a corner for making Captain America concerned for him.

"I am here, no need to shout," Tony said quietly, and stopped in the hallway.

Steve seemed to have just come out of battle, his face and hair was covered in dirt. There was a cut on his cheek, and Tony resisted the urge to reach out for it to make sure it would make no permanent damage. And Steve, he just stared at him, like he hadn't seen him in years.

"Is everything alright?" Tony asked in concern, and took a nervous step back as Steve suddenly seemed to make a move for him.

"You are asking me if everything is alright?" Steve repeated incredulously, and Tony found himself suddenly cornered to a wall. He heard the shield falling to the floor with a loud bang, and Steve's hands suddenly appeared on either side of his head. He had no room to move, except to maybe duck away, and he was sure that Steve would be able to stop him before he even managed to move an inch.

"Cap?" Tony asked hoarsely, swallowing.

"You ignore my phone calls, you let me think that the world has swallowed you up, and then I have to ask Natasha to search for your address," Steve said, and Tony could feel himself grow intimidated by that voice.

"Sorry?" Tony replied hesitantly, swallowing. "I... I thought it would be easier for you... if I just..."

"If you just disappeared?" Steve asked, and his voice was hard and cold. Tony didn't know how to reply to that and just nodded instead, licking his lips and shifting nervously against the wall. "Why?" he asked a moment later, his voice suddenly sounding quiet and hurt.

"Because if I didn't. I would do something that wouldn't be alright, and someone would end up being hurt. And you couldn't end up being hurt, if I didn't do anything to cause that. So I locked it up. Everything," Tony mumbled, and he could feel how the emotions were growing more and more unbearable, and he wanted to do nothing else but to hide.

"Tony..." Steve breathed out, and a moment later they were kissing. There was nothing gentle about the kiss, just pure need and all Tony could do was to give into it. The knot in his stomach cleared almost instantly, and he soon found himself returning the kiss just as desperately.

"Steve..." Tony managed to gasp between kisses, and fingers fumbling with clothes. Just concentrating on each other and nothing else.

**

"But he's complicated," the AI complained and the whole room was quiet for a moment, before Vision let out a small amused laugh.

"So sir is, but you learn to adjust, gradually," Vision replied and Tony grinned from where he sat on the couch. Everyone was here, and he felt more at ease then he had done in a long time.

They were all sitting on the large couch in his living room. Natasha, Clint, Wanda, Sam and Rhodey. Vision was standing in front of the large terrace windows holding a rather amused conversation with S.A.M.A.N.T.H.A., which seemed to involve Tony a lot. Not that he cared, but it did somehow send a warm feeling through him to have the two communicating.

And then there was Steve.

Steve who was sitting on the floor in front of him, looking up at him with that broad warm smile that only seemed to be directed at him these days.

Steve who had spent days here in this house, convincing Tony that they needed him back. That their family wasn't whole as long as Tony wasn't there.

Steve, after kissing him in the hallway, hadn't stopped touching him for days after.

And if Tony couldn't sleep these days, it was because he couldn't get enough of watching Steve sleeping next to him.


End file.
